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One of the things that I’ve been hoping for is a good delivery service when it comes to buying groceries. I’m wheelchair-bound because of progressive multiple sclerosis, and need to plan my day to get things done. I have to find ways to continue to function. The key to this are strategy and efficiency.

Stumbled upon MetroMart’s Facebook Page, and registered for the service. Was happy to find fresh produce, meat, and seafood from SM Supermarket.

They currently cater to Makati, Taguig, Mandaluyong, and Pasig, and charge a ₱40 delivery fee per store. So if you buy something from Eric Kayser, Babci and Benefit, that’s ₱40 (3) = ₱120. Or if you buy groceries only from one store like SM Markets, that would be ₱40 in addition to the total cost reflected in your Check-out page. That fee is waived for first-time deliveries.

Their friendly and highly interactive customer representative will keep you updated based on the instructions you’ve specified on the Check-out page.

The prices reflect store prices. And if the price varies, you may elect to be informed about it, or give them the authority to purchase the goods (or their substitute) immediately.

I purchased meat and fresh produce, and was immediately informed about availability and change in prices.

MetroMart personnel was helpful and efficient. And the shopper selected the good stuff.

Very happy with the outcome. Will definitely use their services again.

MetroMart is an enabling service for people like me with mobility concerns. I can get things done in a way that is affordable, and doesn’t cause too much stress (especially since I’m trying to recover from a nasty relapse).

In a separate bowl, whisk 1 large egg till light-colored and fluffy. Add 3 tablespoons of honey and continue to whisk so that it retains its consistency. Add 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil and 1 tablespoon extra virgin coconut oil. Whisk again. Add the almond milk mix that you made earlier on, and keep whisking to make sure it stays light and fluffy.

Create a well in the middle of the bowl with the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Gently fold the wet with the dry stuff. Do not mix the batter too much because it will yield hard pancakes. This is also the time when you add the tidbits and/or fruits that you want, but make sure they are dry and are at room temperature.

MS loves its surprises, and just when I think I’ve got a handle on things, it throws me a curveball, and I’m back to zero. Socrates once said, “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” Being aware that I know jack (no, not the one who perished because he gallantly let Rose monopolize the use of a wooden door as a flotation device when that ship sank in that movie) is as close to true wisdom as I can get.

There’s a protocol for people with MS. It maintains that lean beef and chicken liver enhance brain function. Seeing as there isn’t any chicken liver handy at the moment, lean beef seems like a good idea.

Wasn’t feeling particularly good the other day so I decided to pick some no-fuss recipe. No-cook nutty noodle sauce, it is. Happy, healthy dinner—why not?

Nutty Noodle Sauce

Anyway, my Made by Max™ Cashew Butter Crunchy Cacao was down to the last couple of tablespoons stuck at the bottom of the jar, so I had the idea to prepare a no-cook sauce for dinner and my husband’s packed lunch. For this, I added the following in the jar:

2 tablespoons of pure sesame oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce alternative (got mine from the Saturday Market, and it’s made from coconuts)

Mix everything well then pop in 3 cloves of crushed garlic (skin on) and 1 whole crushed bird’s eye chili. It should keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge (if it even lasts that long). Pair it with some refreshing orangewater.

Spray some sunflower or safflower oil on a heavy-bottom pan and lightly brown your chicken (with the skin and the bones still on, and make sure that you’ve smeared a little salt on them). I used a couple of chicken wings.
Add a head of crushed garlic then leave to brown. Put in 3 heads of red onions (chopped) and cook till translucent.

At this point, you’ll want to move things on the side of the pan so you can add:

4 bay leaves (crushed)

3 pieces of star anise

a teaspoon and a half of all spice

Mix them all. The dish will be really fragrant at this point.

Pour in 2 tablespoons of soy sauce alternative (or regular soy sauce, if you’re allowed—my husband makes the soy-free variety—that way, I can still enjoy some of the soy sauce taste without having to pay a lot for it), and a cup of broth (either chicken or vegetable—gluten-free, of course; we just put in a cup of water). Cover the pan, set heat to low and wait for the liquid to reduce to half.

Blend in 2 tablespoons of coconut sugar. Cook some more. Turn off the heat when the chicken is done. Eat with rice. You can also store it for later.

1 tablespoon of honey-cinnamon (I used Milea from the Salcedo Market for 150 which is a blend of raw honey—I even saw the bees they’ve come from—and cinnamon)

3 tablespoons of raw honey

1 tablespoon of nutbutter

1 tablespoon of safflower or sunflower oil

1 egg white (whisked) and a mashed ripe banana

(Milea Honey with Cinnamon)

(The honey bees…)

Use a pastry cutter to blend everything in, then use a spatula to make sure it’s all well-combined.

Scoop the cookie dough in greased muffin cups (because the dough is runny, and you don’t want them blending together into one big yummy mess). Use nice heaping tablespoonful of cookie dough per muffin cup.

Top the cookie dough with some crushed walnuts (used crushed cashews because I ran out of walnuts) and embed bits of cacao nibs (or chocolate chips if you are allowed dairy) as you prefer.

Bake in a preheated oven for 35 minutes at 180ºC.

Cool on a rack for 5 minutes then serve with your favorite beverage. I love having this with black coffee.

Recovering from complications arising from influenza need not be a dull and painful ordeal (at least it wasn’t as horrible for me as it was yesterday). My lovely husband decided to cheer me up by suggesting that we “co-bake” (since I’m too weak to do everything on my own, and I’m not allowed to eat just anything from the store next door). This biscotti is lovely with coffee (or juice, in my case).

Whisk together:

92g of rice flour

30g of potato starch

18g of tapioca starch

1.5 teaspoon of baking powder

4 tablespoons coconut sugar

3 tablespoons of dessicated coconut

1 tablespoon of decaf instant coffee powder

1/8 teaspoon of salt

a handful of crushed nuts (I used cashews because that’s what I have here)

1/4 cup of dried cranberries

Create a well in the middle of your dry mix and add:

2 tablespoons of sunflower or safflower oil

1/2 cup almond milk

1 tablespoon of honey

1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract

Blend everything till smooth. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk an egg white to a soft peak then fold into the batter you’ve set aside earlier on.

Mix everything with a spatula. Gradually add 4 tablespoons of potato starch and 1/4 cup dessicated coconut to the batter till it has the texture of dough (you do not have to add all of the potato starch and dessicated coconut into the batter, just pay attention to the texture, stop adding the ingredients when it’s like cookie dough).
Shape into a wide, flat loaf that you can later cut into biscotti -sized slices.

Placed on a lined baking tray and bake at 180ºC for 35 to 45 minutes.

Take it out of the oven cool for 5 minutes (or till it is safe to handle) then slice diagonally into half-inch strips.

Lay the strips back on the baking tray and toast on each side for 5 minutes (or till nicely brown—not burnt).

Cool and serve with your fave beverage. I had mine with iced mango juice. Coffee would be great, too.

Mix till smooth. Add a handful or so of flour and knead till it has the consistency of dough.

Shape into 1-inch balls then flatten with the palm of your hand.

Press a point in the middle of the ball with your thumb and fry lightly till golden brown. (Alternately, you can use the back of a measuring spoon to create the depression in the middle, and place linear patterns from the core going outwards with the tip of a spatula.)

Drain on a paper towel, dust lightly with confectioner’s sugar and place your choice of jam at the middle point. Serve with coffee or tea.